Brake



F. J. BUFFA Feb. 27, 1940.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

A TTORNEYS.

Feb. 27, 1940. F, B FFA 2,191,95

' BRAKE Filed May 4, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A TTORNEYS.

Patented Feb. 27, 1940 j L 2,191,954

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BRAKE Ferdinand J. Buffa, Brooklyn, N. Y. Application May 4, 1939, Serial No. 271,787

' 4 Claims, (01. 188-4) This invention aims to provide novel means side walls of the casing 4. An idler I is supfor mounting, operating and controlling a flexported for rotation in the side walls of the casing iblemat, adapted to be interposed between the 4 and is located at the lower or front end of the rear wheels of a vehicle and the ground, regardfender 2, closely adjacent to the lowermost roller means for mounting, operating and controlling the fender 2 and is located a little above the it, to check, the progress of the vehicle, and to idler I 0.

prevent skidding of the vehicle on wet and ice- A flexible mat I2 is provided and may be made covered roadways. of any desired material or combination of mateless of the construction of the mat and the 8. A rigid Stop H is Secu ed t0 t Side W 0f 5 It is within the province of the disclosure to rials. For examp e, the mat l2 y be made improve generally and to enhance the utility of of rubber or a rubber compound, reinforced with devices of that typeto which the present inmetal but not to such an extent as to impair the vention appertains. flexibility of the mat. The mat I2 rides on the With the above and other objects in view, rollers 8 and is provided at its rear end with a which will appear as the description proceeds, projecting shoulder I4. The forward end of a Ii the invention resides in the combination and flexible element I5 is made fast to the rear end arrangement of parts and in the details of conof the, mat I2, the rear end of the flexible elestruction hereinafter described and claimed, it ment being secured to the forward end of a pull being understood that changes in the precise sp having t real end ac ed to e embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, back and 0f the fender and t0 the bottom of 20 may be made within the scope of what is claimed, the asing In order t the un Wheel without departing from the spirit of the inven- 3 y ride on t at l2, without a bump o j tion. the free end of the mat is tapered as shown at In the drawings: 20. The mat I2 extends down a little way Fig. -1 shows in side elevation, a portion of a throu h-the l 6 in the guide wh the n- 25 car equipped with the device forming the subvolutions of the pull spring I6 are closed togethject matter of this application, the mat being in 81', and, thus, the mat is always in position to be Working position; lowered until it can be gripped between the Fig. 2 is an elevation on an enlarged Scale, g o W ee 3 and the S parts being sectioned, to show the mat retracted; A flexible element I1 is made fast to the shoul- 30 Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line 3-3 of der I4 of themat I2. The flexible element I I is Fig. 2; rove over the idler Ill, and the flexible element Fig. 4 is an elevation showing a modified form extends down along the mat I2 to aid. in holding of the invention, parts being in section; it on'the rollers 8. Idlers I8 are located where- 5 Fig. 5 is a transverse section on the line 5 5 ever desired, on the car, so that the flexible of Fig. 4; t I element I! can be run forward, upward and Fig. 6 is an elevation showing a further modbackward, to a'handle I9 located accessibly adification, parts, being in section. jacent to the drivers seat.

Fig. 7 is a transverse section showing the mat v Although but one fender 2 has been referred 40 employed in connection with the form depicted to, the structure discussed can be duplicated to 40 in Fig. 4. any desired extent.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the numeral I The operator lays hold of the handle I I! and marks a car body to which is attached'a fender pulls on the flexible element I1, the spring I 6 2, the ground'wheel 3 of the car being located being stretched, the flexible element l5 running i below the fender. over the sheave 9, and the mat I 2 being low- 45 A trough-shaped casing 4 is secured to the e'red until it is caught between the wheel 3 and fender 2, within the fender. The casing 4 has a the ground, whereupon the mat, located as horizontal front wall 5 constituting a guide at shown in F Will tend to Check the advance the front end of the fender 2. There is a hole 6 of the car. The shoulder I4 on the mat I2 en- 0 in the wall 5. gages the stop II to keep the mat in the posi- Distributed along the curved part 1 of the tion of Fig. 1, much strain, therefore, being bottom of the casing 4 are transverse rollers 8 taken off the spring I6 and the flexible elewhich are journaled in the side walls of the ment I5. casing 4. Behind the rearmost roller 8 is 10- To restore the parts to the position of Fig. 2, cated a sheave 9, supportedfor rotation on the the car is set aback, until the wheel 3 is off the 55 acteristic mat l2, and then the mat will be restored to the position of Fig. 2, by the pull of the spring l6. Because many working parts are enclosed within the casing 4, they will not be fouled by mud cast up by the wheel 3.

In Fig. 4, parts hereinbefore described have been designated by numerals already used, with the suffix a.

The sheaves 9a are in advance of the rollers Ba,

instead of behind them, as suggested in Fig.2.,

The hole 6a is not in the end wall 50. of the easing to but in the bottom of the casing, above the wheel 3a. The stop I la has a rearward and up.-

ward inclination, so that it is adapted not only to be engaged by the shoulder I la, but also to I guide the mat 42a. down on the periphery of the wheel 3a. The flexible elements l5a are run over idlers 25 on brackets 22 carried-by the bottom of the casing 5a, near the rear end of the casing, v

' vancing the mat with respect to a wheel of the Figure 5 shows that the flexible elements i541, run crosswise of the car, in opposite directions, and are connected to the inner ends of the pull springs led, the outer ends of the pull springs being anchored on the car body.

A curved mat holder 23 is pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on the bottom of the casing 4a, immediately in front of the tapered end 28a of the mat 12a. The mat holder 23 has a fork 2 at its upper end, located within the casing 6a. The flexible element Ha pays through the fork 25 There is a projection 25 on the flexible element Fla. The projection 25 is located behind the fork 2 5. The projection 25 comes into contact with the fork 24 and tilts the mat holder 23 so that its curved end presses the mat i 2a against the periphery of the Wheel 3a, so that the mat will be fed down by the rotation of the wheel.

So far as the function of the mat l2a is concerned considered relatively to the wheel Be on the ground, the structure of Fig. i has no charpeculiarities that need description. The mat iza is advanced by the flexible; element lid under the pull of such a part as the handle is of 1.

The mat 82a used in the embodiment of the inventicn disclosed in Fig. 4 is of pronouncedly trough-shape. It comprises a body 3;li, made of rubber or a rubber compound, and any desired number of U-shaped metal springs 38 are incorporated in the body. The purpose of the springs 3! is to cause the mat lid to grip and fit snugly upon the tire 3a, when the mat holder 23 presses the mat downwardly upon the tire.

The stop 25 will only permit movement of the In Fig. 6, parts hereinbefore described have been designated by numerals already used, with the suifix b.

The casing db is straight and is secured underthe running board 29. The pull spring I6!) is attached at its forward end to a plate 26 secured the casing db. The back end of the pull spring Nib is connected to a slide 2? mounted to reciprocate in the casing 417. The slide 2')" is pivoted to the forward end of the mat l2b.

The form shown in Fig. 6 will be understood, as

to operation, in view of what has been stated hereinbefore, in connection with the form shown in Fig. 2.-

In any of its forms, the device is simple in cona braking effect being produced, which is well understood by those skilled in the art.

Although thedevice is shown as being handoperated, it can be power-operated, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is: i

. 1. In a brake of the class described, a vehiclea mat slidable through the opening, a flexible element connected.-to the mat and constituting l carried support having an opening in its bottom,

means under the control of an operator for ad vehicle, a movable holder on the support anciengageable with the mat to pressit-against the vehicle wheel, andmeans on the flexible element for moving-the holder into mat-pressing position;

when the flexible element is actuated to'advance the mat. p

2. In a brake of the class described, a vehiclecarried support, having an opening in its bottom, a mat slidable through the opening, a flexible element connected to the mat and constituting means under the control'of an operator for adthe holder to move the first-specified end of the holder into mat-pressing position when the flexible element is actuatedto advance the mat.

3. In a brake of the class described, a casing, means forsecuring the casing to a vehicle, the

casing having a curved forward portion conforming approximately to a wheel of the vehicle, rollers secured to the curved for-ward portion of the casing, a pull spring having its rear end connected to the rear part of the casing, means for connecting theforward end orthe pull spring to the mat, the casinghaving an opening located.

in advance of the wheel, and meansfor moving the mat downwardly through the opening, and a stop in the curved portion of the casing, the stop serving to hold the .mat in position with respect to one of. the rollers, adjacent to the opening, and

the mat having a projection engageable' with the stop, to limit positively the downward and rearward movement of the mat, when the mat is engaged between the wheel and theground.

4. Ina brake of the classfdescribed, afender having an opening in its lower portion, transverse rollers journaled in the fender, a flexiblev mat mounted to move over the rollers, means for advancing the mat through the opening, at the.

will of an operator, said means comprising a flex ible element secured at its rear end to the rear end of the mat, and-extended lengthwise of the mat, on top of the mat, and abovethe rollers, to hold the mat engaged with the rollers, and spring means for retracting the mat I FERDINAND J.. BUFFA. 

